Red Fire
by DoDo X3
Summary: The X-Men's first encounter with the Phoenix. Do they manage to save Jean? Or will she end up saving them? *One-shot*


Hey! So we had to write a third POV story in class and this happened. Only one person peer edited so there still might be some mistakes. Also, watching my non-comic friend reading this was depressing since she didn't understand it :( Please ignore the crappy title.

Enjoy!

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><p><strong>Red Fire<strong>

It had taken them nearly two weeks to track her down, and now she was several feet in front of them all, hovering over the ruins caused by her. She was clad in a red bodysuit, with long, golden opera-length gloves and boots that went up to middle thigh. A sash was around her waist with a little pin shaped as a bird resting on the intersection of the sash. The sash was blowing behind her, and the end of the sash looked as if it belonged with the fire behind the woman. A large golden bird was spread to across her chest. The symbol was a Phoenix; a bird that rose from its ashes.

The group facing the woman showed straight and determined faces and body language, but their eyes said otherwise. The woman, who was now called Phoenix, was once a woman who everyone adored and looked up to. She was weak, but over the years became much more powerful, and now there was no force on earth that could stop her; or so they thought.

Phoenix was beautiful. Dark crimson tresses that tumbled down her back and over her shoulders, stopping short before her waist, creating a curtain around her. Her hair blew back away from her face, the ends becoming one with the fire. She was slender and tall. Her skin ivory with slightly rosy cheeks, as well as ruby red lips and high cheekbones. Everything about her was beautiful, until you reached her eyes. Her eyes were once bright emerald green orbs, but were now hollow circles filled with fire, rage, revenge, and something completely sinister.

A man down below with foot-long adamantium claws in his hands must've said something, causing Phoenix to throw her head back and laugh. Her pearly white teeth showed behind her deep scarlet lips, and she laughed a laugh that sounded completely different from the one people used to love. Her laugh was deeper, darker than before.

"Funny little man," she said. "I thought you all knew better." Her hands spread outwards towards the people in front.

"Please," the man in the red sunglasses begged desperately, "come back to us."

Phoenix simply cocked her head, a russet eyebrow rising.

"Oh? Is that so?" she asked, faking a look of compliance. "Like I said, you all should've known already."

Her face suddenly became solemn, and she frowned slightly.

"The woman you knew is _gone_," she hissed quietly, though everyone heard it as if she had shouted it. The people who were once her family all cringed.

"She isn't. I know it," a soft Kenyan voice said. Phoenix shifted her gaze to a woman who was once her best friend and surrogate sister.

"She's gone!" Phoenix spat. "I may be using her body but she's gone."

"You're lying," the man with the sunglasses said. "I can feel her inside my head."

"Well, well, guess I have to punish her," she said, a smirk playing on her lips. "Poor girl's been trying to hard. I better punish her."

The man's jaw clenched and his fists tightened until his knuckles had gone white. "Don't you dare," he growled out.

Phoenix tilted her head back and smiled, "You can't do anything about it."

The man with the claws stepped forward. "This ain't you. Come back t'us."

"Never!" Phoenix suddenly screeched. Her hand stretched out and swiped from left to right. Every single person in front of her flew backwards.

Some fell unconscious during impact, while others received injuries. Phoenix flew higher and the fire behind her became bigger, brighter, and shaped into a Phoenix and surrounded her lithe body. The Phoenix screeched.

"She's gone!" she screamed, the fire in her eyes burning brighter. "I am no longer the woman you once knew! I am fire and life incarnate! Now and forever, I AM PHOENIX!"

The people in costumes suddenly found themselves unable to move, as an invisible grip kept them in place. Phoenix landed softly right in front of them and walked past each of them, her feet making absolutely no sound.

"You all never should've came to find me. It was completely pointless. And because you did, you're all going to find out what happens next."

She stopped walking and faced them all, preparing to end them. The man in the glasses sent one message to Phoenix's mind, but not to Phoenix, to the woman who was trapped inside.

_'Save us.'_

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><p>A red haired woman was forced to watch her friends and family helpless and in pain. She tried to help, but was stuck behind thick mental shielding inside her own head. To say she wasn't the maniacal woman would be a lie. She and Phoenix was stuck together forever. They were one another.<p>

Growing frustrated by the second for not being able to do anything, she released a telekinetic burst into the mental shields, and immediately felt the confusion and annoyance of Phoenix. She released another psi blast, and Phoenix suddenly appeared in front of her.

"What are you doing?" Phoenix said through clenched teeth.

"What do you _think_ I'm doing?! You can't just kill them! You can't just shut me in astral plane!" the woman yelled angrily.

Phoenix's hand went around the woman's throat.

"I just did," she said, forcefully shoving the woman backwards down to the ground. The woman glared up through her hair, her green eyes specked with bits of pink.

"You crazy little psychopath," she spat.

"Gee, Red, I'm hurt. I thought we were friends," Phoenix deadpanned. "But never mind you. I've got things I have to do."

Turning on her heels, Phoenix got ready to decide on how to give the woman's friends the worst torture and death possible. The redhead bowed down in defeat when she heard a message brush against her mind.

'_Save us._'

The woman gave an inaudible gasp, and her emerald eyes widened. The psychic link she had was forgotten until now. Her glove-clad hand clenched. There was only one thing she could do now. With all her strength and energy, she created a powerful telekinetic burst that aimed straight for Phoenix.

Phoenix was unprepared for what happened. She'd sensed the blast, but wasn't given enough time to shield herself. She slammed against the mental shields, but never slumped down to the ground. She was held in place with telekinetic grip, though her arms were free.

But that wasn't enough for the redheaded woman. She pinned Phoenix's hands against the wall with extreme violence, causing the wall to crack even more.

Phoenix was clearly surprised. "H-how did you do that? Without me, without my _power_?" she stuttered.

The woman's eyes stared into Phoenix's.

"I _am_ you. Don't you remember?" she stated. "I know you're confused. But afterwards, in the White Hot Room… when all our pieces are back together… you'll understand. _We'll_ understand"

Phoenix met her gaze unflinchingly. "Because you and I are one."

The woman nodded. "Yes."

"But I have unfinished things to do," Phoenix suddenly said. The woman's eyes widened before finding herself flying backwards. Phoenix broke out of the invisible hold, and walked over the woman's limp body. "It's time."

The redhead's eyes burned brighter. "Never."

Phoenix felt the woman take control, but she wasn't going to let her do that without a fight. No one backs down that easily.

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><p>The group known as <em>Homo Superiors<em> watched as the psycho woman in front of them suddenly fell to her knees, clutching her head in pain.

"AHH!" she yelled.

The people watched, not knowing what to do; not knowing what was happening.

Phoenix stopped screaming, and looked up, tears spilling out of her eyes. Her hands still holding her temples, but not as hard as before. There was one thing everyone noticed.

Her eyes were green.

Fire wasn't burning in them anymore. They were the beautiful green eyes each one of them fell in love with over the years they met her. But now they were filled with pain and sorrow.

The man with the glasses rushed over to her, his larger hands covering her glove clad hands.

"You have to go. I-I can't hold her back any longer," she cried.

"No! You're a fighter! You can hold her down! You need to come back to us, we can help you," the man argued.

"How are you all going to help me? You've tried before, but look where I am right now! I'm a murderer."

"No you aren't. You aren't the Phoenix. You are-" He was interrupted.

"I'm always Jean. And I'm always the Phoenix. I died. I _scattered _in a trillion directions. And then I started to pull _together_ again, outside the White Hot Room. But i'm starting to see now. Parts of me… parts of me never came _home_."

The man didn't want to admit it, but she was right. She'd always had a part of her that was different since she came back. He could only nod slowly at her.

Jean swallowed. "But I'm fighting her. She was never meant to escape. A beast never likes to be caged. Logan would understand," she admitted, trying to joke to lighten the mood, but it wouldn't work at a time like this.

All of them stayed in silence wondering what they could do.

Jean leaned forward and and brushed her lips against the man's forehead.

"I'm sorry." she said, barely above a whisper.

The man looked surprised. "Sorry? What do you mean you're sor-"

He found himself flying backwards several feet away from her. Before he could register what was happening, the redhead erupted in a burst of flames. Some screamed and others watched in shock.

As the fire died, many ran over to where the woman once was. There were no ashes, nor were there a body.

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><p>Jean knew something was wrong. The fact that her body still felt the same was one thing. It didn't feel broken, burned, or cut; it felt healthy. She suddenly knew where she was and her eyes fluttered open.<p>

And all she saw was white.

_End_.


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